Transcript of Top Five NFL Games to Watch in Week 6, Why the Jaguars will Fall to Earth with Ben Axelrod, And Steve Smith Sr. on his Hall of Fame Snub

So a Raven, a brown, and a bengal walk into a stadium. Lambo Field this Sunday, to be exact. And according to his latest head coach, Joe Flacko is even going to start against the packers. Makes sense in the AFC North, a. K. A. The most incestuous division in our elite. And I'm not just talking about the old QB who's now gotten himself inside three quarters of the north. Quick bit of history if you just started watching football somewhere between, say, five minutes and 30 years ago. Long before the Browns made us all laugh by trading for Deshaun Watson on purpose, many moons before the current Bengals, Plum forgot to get an offensive line or a defense. There was a guy named Paul Brown. If that name rings a bell, it's because the whole Cleveland Browns team is named after him. He was the founder and head coach, a legend, revolutionized the whole sport. And believe it or not, the Browns used to be good. Then in 1961, guy named Art Modell buys the team, and in '63, fires Paul Brown. Brown's like, You can't fire me. The team's named after me. Modell's like, Well, I just did.

So Brown heads to Sinsi and starts up the Bengals in the AFL, made their get-ups look as much like the Browns as possible.

Why?

Because he's petty, and I respect that. Jump to the end of the decade, longtime Cleveland Brown and son of Ohio, Chuck Noel, gets hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Spoiler alert, it worked out. It worked out real nice, Jens. Ditto 35 years later when another son of Ohio, Ben Rothsberger, moved across those same state lines. Of course, the Browns could have taken Rothsberger, but they went with Kelen Winslow Jr. Instead. In the interim, the Browns moved to Baltimore and rebranded themselves. But deep down, they and Cleveland and all the rest of us know those are the Browns just wearing purple. I don't know what exactly that makes the team in the Orange Helmets we still call the Browns, but I do know the Ohio River is formed by the intersection of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, as in Pennsylvania, not Ohio. I don't know why they got to name it, but I guess since Pittsburgh got Nolan-Rotsesberger, we can call it wash. By the by, when Flacko heads to Pittsburgh next week to play fellow old man, Rodgers, it'll be a homecoming because you know where he played his freshman year of college?

Pit. Let's start the show. Yes, hi, and hello, my fellow football Americans. Welcome to NFL Week 6. Welcome to episode number 15. Welcome to Football America, presented by DraftKings, DraftKings, the Crown is yours. We've got Steve Smith, senior, and awful announcing Ben Axelrod coming up. How are you, fellows? Let's start it off like we always do. Who's the greatest number 15 in NFL history, Gino and Mike? This seems like an obvious one to me. I'm going to go Pat Mahomes. Maybe I'm a prisoner of my own time here, but- No.

You're not a prisoner of your own time. He's really good. He has three Super Bowl. He's 30 years old. So yeah, probably Patrick Mahomes.

I do have to throw out Bart Starr, of course. He won the first two Super Bowl's. Noteworthy stuff. And if there had been Super Bowl's throughout his career, I wonder how many Super Bowl's the packers and Bart Starr would have won. But you're right. I don't need to belabor Patrick Mahomes. Also, shout out Steve Van Buren. Brandon Marshall.

Miami Dolphins legend. Yeah, Brandon Marshall.

Okay, before we get to Steve Smith and Ben Axelrod, Gino and Mike Fuentes, let's put our heads together. Pick six presented by DraftKings. Draftkings, the Crown is yours. The million dollars should be mine by now. It's not. Quite frankly, I blame Mike Fuentes, but let's not live life in the rear view mirror. I'm going to give you my picks here, and Gino and Mike are going to help me out here. Let's press on. Like I said last week, I'm a simple-minded man, and I think it's nice and clean to do touch scores as opposed to yards and otherwise as we cobble together our half dozen names here. I'm going Josh Jacobs for a TD against the Bengals. George Pickens, now the main man until CeeD Lamb is back with Dak getting a TD Carolina. Javante Williams gets a countdown against the Panthers. J. K. Dobbins gets a countdown against the Jets. Bo Nicks is going to throw a couple of touch downs against the Jets. And Zack Charbonet is going to get into the end zone against the Jags. How say you to Gino Fuentes. All right, the only one I see here that I could possibly be not in an agreement with is Charbonet because those could easily go to Ken Walker.

So I would inject a little over here on the passing yards for Bryce Young against Dallas.

Dallas defense is horrible against the pass. You have no idea what the number is. You're just going to throw it off. No, it's 220 and a half. There you go. At the time of recording. At the time of recording.

There you go. So, Bryce Young over on passing yards. Gino, feel free to take the blaster out of the holster that Mike has attached to his hip and shoot him with it. That's your right. He tried to embarrass you.

Now who gets to- Well, you got to put it out on the front end. You can't say it after the fact. You know what I'm doing? I have no idea what it is. Hey, I'm going to take this guy at 220. There's a system. I'm not taking whatever it was. I was going to take it over. It has to be avoided by it. But you know That's fine. I'll do it myself.

There you go. I think that's what he did. Gino baited you into it.

Yeah, that's what it was. That was his thinking the whole time.

All right. Any thoughts from you?

Yeah. So what you're saying is there's going to be at least three touch downs against the New York Jets. Bo Nicks is going to throw two of them, and J. K. Daven is going to get another one. I think it's going to be way more than that, but he's going to say three. Yeah, but then you have to hope that J. K. Daven gets one. It's just a lot. And I'm noticing now, Pickens, too. Here's the thing about Pickens. Here's the thing about in general. They tend to be a little random. Pickens has scored in the last two games, if I haven't been mistaken. So that means counting on him to score three in a row. I don't know if I love that. What I do love, though, I'm going to use the same strategy I used last week with Lad McConkey.

I love it's the upside down world with you. Yes. So George Pickens is on a heater. Again, I'm going to invoke the analogy with playing 21. Your logic is like, Hey, I'm on a roll here. I've hit Blackjack three in a row. It can't keep going. I'm out.

Yeah, I'm not big on momentum.

I haven't had Blackjack in a while. 21 is bound to come up here.

They are. When it comes to players, especially stud receiver and touch downs, I think eventually they will get one. I'm not saying Pickets won't get one. I just don't like that he scored so many times. And don't forget, last week, Lad McConkey You have chosen wisely. I chose wisely. Lad McConkey got us a touch down last week. So I'm going to pick the opposite side of Carolina versus Dallas. And I'm going to say Ted McMillan, the rookie, Ted McMillan, finally gets his first touch to this event against that bad Cowboys defense. He will replace George Pickets with Ted McMillan. Plus 140 at the time of recording DraftKings' Anytime Touchdown score, Ted McMillan.

All right. So that's a stand-alone, but you can also make it a part of your pick six. I like that Mike Fuentes now has dropped a line for himself. All lines ready to go with the old man in Last Crucate. Very resistant against me using a blaster. We're swapping that one out. But you know what? For the esprit de corps of it, we'll put Genos in there, the Bryce Young over, and I do like that one. Who are we taking out, though, Genos? We're taking Charbonet. Charbonet. That can go to Walker. It's a random situation. There you have it. Our pick six, and we'll see you in the winner circle, if you tail us, that is. All right, this is very exciting for me. Way back when I started an NFL Network, there was a guy on the Carolina Panthers who used to not not just call in, but he would call in for a half an hour, 45 minutes. Sometimes we would talk about football, sometimes we would talk about this, that, and the other. One thing for sure, it was always delightful. I'm glad to see him here now doing The 89 Show co-hosted by another pal of ours from NFL Network, James Palmer.

Episodes release Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on YouTube and podcast platforms. One of my favorite guys to bounce off of, Steve Smith senior. How are you doing, Pally?

Hey, what's up, man? How are you doing?

I'm doing just fine. Better now. You look awesome. Do I? Wow. How nice of you to be today.

Yeah, you look awesome. The salt and pepper is going. You got the hair going. I like it. I I'm not making it.

Yeah, I don't know. What you can't see, what the camera doesn't show you is the flesh Yamaka I got in the back here.

Let me go ahead and give you a perspective. You're complaining in the back. What do you do when it just goes?

Well, see, thank you. That's right. See, it could always be worse. I'm not going to say it was worse, just a little bit more convenient. Yeah, that's the one. When it starts going here, there's no hiding that. You can't really put the salt and pepper, that little pepper shaker thing that I use. It's like magic, Steve Smith. You can't believe how much it fills out. Okay, listen, we're not talking about me. I want to talk about you, and I want to start here, and I'm not trying to fellate with this one, but where are you on a scale of 1-10? Ten being most vexed, let's say.

What do you mean vexed? A vexed.

Frustrated, angry, put out by this. That you're not in the Hall of Fame yet. With the gold jacket and all of that. Scale of 1-10.

What would you like first? The lie or the truth? Can I give you both?

No jive. The no jive policy remains.

I love Sometimes I love in these conversations or off camera, when I'm around buddies and stuff, I always love to say, Look, can I give you both? The lie would be, in fact, I'm a 10. But honestly, over the years, it's actually reduced itself down to one or to a zero. Here's why.

Wow.

Man, I've already played made and done a career that no one, including myself, ever saw a come. So whenever it happens, it happens. And I really say it's on God's time because, as you know, there's some things that have happened. Personally in my life, that I believe the Hall of Fame stuff would be overshadowed. It would be very difficult right now, personally, to be celebrated in that regard and deal with some of the personal things that I'm dealing with with my kids. That right now, I'm glad I don't have to deal with the Hall of Fame stuff, which is dealing with... So my mom is one of 13. So between my mom, well, my grandmother who just passed, my My mom, her kids, and then my kids living on my mom's side of the family, there is about 65 of us. Wow. Yes. And '65 in a ethnic culture, man, you got to take care of everybody. Having to manage all of that and deal with some of the personal things I'm dealing with, My bandwidth can only take so much. My emotional capacity is very limited right now. And so football has started and has given me a great opportunity to be able to be kept busy, get the opportunity to really avoid it.

But at home and at times when I'm myself, I have to process it. That's why I'm glad I don't have the Hall of Fame stuff to budget, to deal with, because I don't think I would be able... I wouldn't be a grateful Hall of Famer at this point because I'll be so emotionally overwint, which would come across like I'm not grateful or I'm agitated that I didn't get in sooner. Man, I'm already on house money. I I wasn't supposed to play 16 years, bro. So the fact that I have, I can't be jealous or upset or disappointed that I haven't gotten something that I think or someone else thinks I deserve when... Man, I didn't think I was going to play this long anyway. So especially the way I played, the type of things that I did and how I played, I just didn't expect it.

Boy, a heavy Steve Smith, and I appreciate the candor and as always, the unvarnished honesty. I'm an extra layer of what you're describing as my entire professional life is now devoted to the passive experience of talking about the deeds of other people out there. The distraction that is pro football, and it is our most prominent, distraction out there in society is exactly what you said. Its greatest gift is that it's It's late August and it's back to school time and you're bummed out if you're an 11-year-old, except that you're like, At least football is coming with it. The ability to always look to, Well, at least Sunday, at least I can look forward to that. It is a legit distraction for your life. It's heavy to hear a guy who I think certainly belongs in the Hall of Fame and gets that gold jacket to have that perspective, because I do always think that You hear it during the Hall of Fame weekend where the guys who have the gold jacket on talk to the guy just getting inducted. And they're like, How does it feel, though? And they're like, Man, I can't put it into words.

Of all the people in society who we need the genuflect to, are we sure it's these guys who've gotten it for the last 30 years of their lives? Aren't there other people we can celebrate besides gilding the... We've celebrated them, right? They have millions of dollars, and we've cheered for them, 75,000 people at a time for for their deeds out there. People aren't you? Anyway, I appreciate the perspective you're laying down, and I will say, Steve, I mentioned those calls that we used to have 15 years or so ago when you would call me.

That was a long time ago, man.

It really was. And the recurring theme, the through line of those, was you talking about your kids and how important they were to you.

They still are, man. They still are. I was playing with two of them. I have four. So I was playing with two of them. We had last Saturday, 7: 30 Teton with my daughter, and then she had to go to work. She does hair. I was with my 20-year-old who was at Liberty University, and so he had drove down. Playing 18 with him. He's quietly joined a public golf course up in Lynchburg, Virginia. So he's playing golf twice a week, every week. Now, basketball season is about to start, so he has to slow down. I Man, that boy shooting like 82, 83. He is dragging me. I'm talking about Cave Man dragging me on the golf course.

I know that you're supposed to be like, Hey, good for him. I like it. I like to see him. I have mixed emotions. My 16-year-old boy can't beat me at one-on-one yet, which makes me sad for him, given the state of the old man's game. But he can't- Now that I think about it, I agree. I don't know why you're getting a belated laugh at my expense, Steve.

Well, it's because the way you said it, summarize it, and it was a delayed reaction It was like, hand on the oven. I'm an infant, and the delayed, I was like, Oh, man. His son just caught a spray, a stray from his dad that he can't beat him in basketball.

That's really funny. He caught a stray, all right. It's called my DNA. He's got my genes. Deal with that. Go try to play sports with this. At least it's only half of you. It was 100 % me trying to compete out there. Anyway, Steve Smith, bottom line, should be in the Hall of Fame for real. I mean, not very many receivers win the Triple Crown. Steve Smith did it in Ot 5. Only three other cats in the history of people have ever done that. His numbers are right up there, top dozen in all the the relevant numbers for pass catchers. If the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers found themselves in Super Bowl 60, which they won't, but if they did, who would you root for?

Who would I root for? Yeah.

Oh, man. Would you be like one of those moms that they would cut to in the stands with a split jersey? It would be the teal eight and then the purple nine?

You know, that is a really tough, tough question because I've never thought about that. And I've also- How is it possible you never thought about that?

You know, you Don't watch the teams and say, Deep down, man, you care more about this team.

No, I'm watching the teams. That's why it's such a hard question, because the current element right now is saying these two teams even making a playoff right now. I'm not going to say, Oh, I'm torn. I have a love for both organizations, and it's not based on time frame. Obviously, I was here in Carolina for 13 years. But I was also at a place in my life when I went to Baltimore that I wanted to experience a different organization, and I wanted to see how different a city was. And so in comparing Baltimore to Carolina, I really think, and Carolina fans don't really hear, it's unfair if I do it because they're just different. A lot of I live here in Charlotte. I've been living here for 25 years, and I'm not originally from here. My neighbors are from Chicago. I got another family that's across the way, across the street. Man, And they're from Baltimore. Then there's another family that's from Ohio, Texas. So it's a lot of different fan bases and transplants in Charlotte, where, let's be honest and let's state it, there are a lot of people going, You know what? I'm going to move from Los Angeles to where they used to feel the wire in Baltimore.

Bang, that's my spot. They're just not doing it.

Well, and the other thing is, too, is the Carolina Panthers didn't exist. Until the mid '90s. So it's not like your great grandfather used to go to the games in 1953.

Yes. Like Darryl Arnhardt Jr. He is a Commander fan through and through. And me and him have talked about this. He's like, Man, when I was growing up, there was no football team here. So they would get the Commander's game. And so that's just where... So the kids that are growing up now are now the second generation. Third generation is peaking his head into saying, Hey, this football team. So the city is starting to, like Jello, it's starting to come together. But as they're coming together, some of the transplants who've taken on the love for the Carolina Panthers also are frustrated with not winning immediately, not having a successful season. I've had the opportunity to experience two different cities at two different levels, the fan base. It's been infectious for both to be able to start with a small market, go to a big market. I love them equally, but there are some things that I've experienced in Baltimore that I didn't experience in Carolina. And obviously, there are things in Carolina that I didn't experience in Baltimore. And that's part of living and growing and working for two different organizations in the same field who operate completely different.

All right. So what's the answer? Neither.

Here's why it's neither. I will not state who it is, because if it's a Super Bowl and they're playing each other, man, damn, you already know this about me. Man, I'm not messing up my free suite passes. I'm not messing up my sideline. I'm not messing up my hotel reservations. Because depending on who's staying at the best hotel, maybe I'm 46. There's luxury that I'm used to. I have to pick and choose to see which is the home team, which is the way team, because I'm a Marriott guy. But if you're staying at the Four Seasons or you're staying at the AC, I may just got to lean over to the Four Seasons.

Okay. Listen, you've said it all with that answer. I think we can agree, though, that the better uniform matchup would be the Purple jerseys versus the other white ones.

Hold on, though. The way Mr. Tapper is doing the different combinations with the Panthers jerseys and how the blue is starting to become more... Man, those blue with the... Or the...

As a Stealers fan, you were regularly a pain in the ass. Oh, yeah. I appreciate that.

That's a problem in my back.

You went deep into your career. And your battles, I was biased, but I always loved the fact that when I would ask you and Ike Taylor, who was the best trash talker, you guys would say each other. And in fact, I would say, What's the worst thing you said to each other? And you said, You told me once, I don't know if you have the same line that you had back then. Did you ever talk trash to Ike?

I mean, there was a few times. Ike wasn't really into it that much with me just because Ike was more, at the time, I felt finesse. He was more about finesse. So a lot of defenders, now that, obviously, we talk and all that stuff, they would say, Man, we always made sure we kept you calm. We didn't want you to get all riled up. I don't really remember talking too much to Ike.

Well, you and Ike told me, this is now 10 years ago, but you said it was de tot. We didn't want to because we both respected each other's crash-talking game, and we didn't want to light any fires in either direction. You also told me during Bounty Gate that the Saints players told you that it was one level worse. It wasn't like, We'll give you something if you hurt somebody, you better go after Steve Smith or I'm going to find you for that. That was a while.

Yeah, that was a wild. I remember that one, particularly, how I got that information was... I hate bringing his name up in this regard just because all the stuff that transpired with it, but Darren Sharper. Darren Sharpe, we were on the sideline and I had a little screen pass that really wasn't going anywhere. I stepped out of bounds because it was a lot of stuff. It was one of those, you do more damage with the with the pursuit. I thought I was able to see it, and so I stepped out of bounds. And Sharper went after my ankle. When he went after my ankle, I grabbed him. When I grabbed him, the first thing he said is, I was told to, I was told to, I'll get fired. And that was what he was telling me as I was grabbing him because I was going to give him a great cookie recipe that I have. I just remember that. And it was like, Oh, okay. So I guess it is real.

Wow. That's something. Hey, let's lighten the mood here real quick here in our last couple of minutes here. A new game that I've come up with for you. I don't know if you've noticed, but Mike McDaniel is this Stoneys philosopher, and maybe society's most prominent guy in that regard is Matthew McConaher. So I have a game called McDaniel or McConaher, McD or McC. I'm going to give you three quotes. You tell me which one is Matthew McConahe's, all right? Okay. Here we go. Because they really, they don't look alike. They're very similar. Well, they're right. Not in the look part.

But they think a lot.

Right. Exactly. All right. First one is, I'm going to do this as flat in my nasal monotone as I possibly can. Good morning. False. Great morning. Let's go because we're a day closer to death. Okay, that's one quote. Oh. Next quote. It's not about hugging trees. It's not about being like, you just got to find that balance. That's the second quote. The third one is, you visualize Christmas. I mean, who doesn't think the colors of Christmas, green, red, sometimes brass or gold, maybe just maybe those colors can inspire you. Which one of those three is the mixee of the bunch? One, two, three.

The middle. Two, two, two.

All right, all right, all right. Steve Smith, you know you're McConahe, don't you? It's not about hugging trees. It's not about being Graceful like, You just got to find that balance. Last question for you is, because it's apparently the latest lightning rod in football America, and that is Bad Bunny is playing the halftime show. Oh, yeah. We started out scale of 1-10 concern level. How concerned are you about Bad Bunny playing at halftime of the Super Bowl?

I'm not really concerned. I think Bad Bunny, he brings There's a different element that people may not necessarily agree with, but it's entertainment, right? And I think when you look at the last couple of Super Bowl, the Super Bowl halftime Show and where we are society-wise, the people who don't actually even pay for much have always the most to say. So You got to balance and allow the water-cooler conversation has now become frontline news. It's no longer you have to have legitimate resources. It's just you say whatever you want to say and you say how you feel. For whatever reason, regular people who sometimes don't have a dog in a fight believe that we, who are in the media, who get paid to do this, we need to seek their permission for our happiness or our ability to speak our mind. I would say this, Bad Bunny, it brings a different culture to American football that may be missing or may not be there. But at the end of the day, the powers that be that actually decided on this didn't They didn't ask you. They didn't. Here's the example I give you. I was playing golf one time out in Charlotte.

We were playing up at the Lake. And up at the Lake in this private course, there's a lot of big- Drop another name, Dale Jr is hard to beat. It wasn't another name. It was just a regular guy. It was my dude. I'll name him, Joe Fusci. One of the players was a basketball player, and his house was right there, so we're teeing off. And he has, I think it was a Lamborghini. It was a nice, expensive car. And he looks at me, he goes, I don't like that color. And I looked at it and I said, When that dude bought that $300,000, $400, $400, $400 car, Joe, he didn't ask your ass if you liked it. He didn't even call you. Man, hit the ball and shut up. Now, Joe's my guy, but it really showed me, that dude, that's his car. Nobody gives a damn what you think. When he was decided on his quarter of a million dollar car, he didn't go, Well, I guess the guy who's going to be on the 10 T box over there, I wonder if he's going to like the color or not. No.

Yes. Lamborghini's cost a lot. Bad Bunny appearing has the biggest available audience of people who haven't played. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift done it, whoever's that. It's a short list of names that can command the audience to stick around through the half hour long halftime. It's not some vast, we got you, conspiracy. They've had a lot of big time names out there. Bad Bunny is the next on the list. He's a big name. And brings in an audience that you otherwise might not be able to capture.

He brings an international audience as well.

Of course. Last thing is this, because you were a part of as these halftime shows came up, you were there in the locker room in Houston. How aware, if at all, are you- I had no idea. You had no idea what was going on with Janet Jackson's bosom?

No.

How would you? I didn't know. I've talked to some Ravens who were in the blackout, and they were aware of what was happening outside and everything.

Yeah, because the blackout effected the locker room.

Yeah, they were literally standing there while they were doing that. Yeah.

So some of the That's the unique part about doing media now is I've grown the respect that there's so much and there's so many things going on hours and weeks before the game. As a player that I just didn't know. And I remember working in a Super Bowl in Minnesota. I had the early shift. It was like 5: 00 AM, so it was like 4: 45 call time, 3: 00 AM getting up. And man, it was like a mini Busy city, underneath, on the field, behind in a tunnel of people laying wires, doing this, getting things prepared. And it was four in the morning. I'm getting up four in the morning dressed, but not really cognizant, just like, oh. And man, people are... Man, they only have a fourth cup of coffee. They are going. And so that's one of the things I do love about my job in the media is, man, I get to meet some of the people who are the nuts and bolts of making our great game as good as it is. That you and I get to dress up in a suit or we get to look great. But man, there's people, so many men women that's behind the scenes that don't get as much accolade that they deserve.

Because when something is happening or something that doesn't happen, that person never gets acknowledged. All the stuff that they did, they stopped, Our job stopped from happening. We only like to complain and bring up people when things don't happen according to plan.

Your acknowledgement of all the people behind the scenes. It doesn't matter what level you're at, it's how you treat those people around you. Steve Smith, you've never been anything but over and above, not just gracious, but fun and insightful and willing to pull the curtain back. You mentioned that Minnesota Super Bowl. You and I shared some SUV rides back and forth, and really the stories that you had were second to none. And you proved it again here. Steve Smith, thank you for the time, pal. Glad to see you keeping your chin up there. Absolutely. Football is a distraction, if nothing else.

I've been through worse, so I'll be all right.

I trust that you will. The 89 show with James Palmer. Make sure you're checking it out.

Please do that. I got I got now with my situation, I got Christmas. I'm over here hustling. I don't want to turn it to a male stripper. You know what I mean?

Yeah, do that right after you listen to every episode of Football America. And please, on behalf of... No one wants to see that, Steve Smith.

You just All right, man.

Appreciate you. Be good '89. All right, here is our longtime guy here to do the top five NFL Week 6 games, Picked Down. He's from awful, announcing, of course, including his piece this week about Travis Kelsie's Wood. It's our old pal, Ben Axelrod. What's happening, fella? How are you?

I'm doing great. Just putting that journalism degree to good use here, writing about Travis Kelsie's Wood and anything else that comes across our desk here at Awful Announcing.

And doing play by play, the podcast, great stuff there out of Awful Announcing. If you care about sports media, you should tune into that, or you can jump into Mike Fuentes' text chains. Apparently, Ben Axelrod is all over them. I want in on some text chains. Quick question before we start making the pics here, Ben Axelrod. I'm sure you're up to speed, as is the rest of the society, that my son asked me this question, and now I'm asking everybody else. Tomato or potato. You can only have one for the rest of your life. Choose.

Easily potato for me. I'm actually not a big tomato person in general. The only reason I like tomatoes is for the ketchup, and I primarily use ketchup on French fries. And so if I don't have French fries, I have no use for the ketchup anyways. And so, yeah, I'll go with potatoes all day, any day.

Okay. I mean, the one... Somebody mentioned this on social media. I believe it was, if memory serves, it was listener Aaron Sullivan. And if I'm right, I deserve a pat on the back for nailing it. He said salsa. I didn't even think of salsa. First of all, you can't go to Italian restaurants anymore because they'll just vex you for the rest of the time. Like, I guess I'll have the Marsala again while everybody else eats veal, Parmajian and otherwise, and pizza, and barbecue, too. I can argue about this all day, but let's get into pick, shall we, Axel Rod?

Let's do it.

All right. Let's start it off in our weekly countdown at number five. If we have time, I do want to get the the Eagles ex-coordinator showdown between the Well, actually, you know what? Let's do that one. Gannon v. Steiken, Eagles, former coordinators. Then they left. Then the eagles had a down year between their two Super Bowl runs. Now it's the Cardinals at the Colts. The number at the time of this recording, seven and a half for Indianapolis, total 46 and a half. Ben Axelrod, how say you?

I'll take the Cardinals in the points. That's just a lot of points to me to still be laying with Danny Dimes. I know he's been this year, Sam Darnold, and had that first breakout month there. But I think Jonathan Gannon, for all the negative press he's getting this week, I think he's a really good defensive coach. I think the Cardinals are largely a talented team. You've started to see Marvin Harrison Jr. Put it together the last couple of weeks. So I think the Colts win, but I'll take the Cardinals and the points.

Very interesting pick there. Number one, five-foot, number one, Kyler Murray is going to be playing on one foot, it seems. He's hobbled as it's been described. Also, it is interesting to me that Gannon seems fairly... Somehow he's come out of this demarcado thing looking a little bit better. Is that a fair assessment from somebody who's evaluating how the world at large considers these head coaches now?

I think so. I think that you show the raw emotion on the sidelines, and then you get the moment of contrition You get the $100,000 fine, which is just a crazy fine for pretty basic coaching antics on the sideline. I think the thing that's not getting talked about enough with Jonathan Gannon is he's actually from Cleveland, Ohio. I think when you look at the the way the Cardinals lost that game, you just have to wonder if he has some Cleveland-Brown's DNA in him that causes DiMarcato to drop the ball right in front of the goal line or the defender to fumble the interception. That was a very Cleveland Brown's loss, and I'm sure that's the loss that Jonathan Gannon grew up with being from Cleveland.

If he wins, then people will get back on board with these Arizona Cardinals. It occurs to me, Liam Cohn and nick Seriani, Probably that trio since Adam Gase gave the worst head coach introductory press conferences. Maybe there's something to giving a lousy introductory press conference, and it leads to success. I don't know why that would be true. Meantime, I am going to lay the points. Colts, 27, Cardinals, 18. Kyler Murray has got to be able to move around it. If he's limited in that regard, I don't have high hopes for Arizona there. At number 4, no one getting real loud about the Seattle Seahawks this week. Gino Fuentes was a week ago after their victory, now down after Sam Darnold threw the game away on his side of the field against Tampa Bay. Beautiful matchup, though. I think we can agree there. They are at the Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off their big win. Jags are laying a point and a half. Total is 47. 5. Ben Axel, I choose.

Yeah, this feels like a classic come back to Earth game for the Jaguars. I think, one, you're coming off the short week. You're coming off the big emotional win over Kansas City on Monday night, obviously. Then on the other side of that, you have Seattle with the bounceback win. Seattle coming off the loss to the Bucks. A game they very well could have won. I think these are two fairly evenly matched teams. When you just go, this is such great logic, one team won, now they're going to lose. The other team lost. Now they're going to win. But that's how I think this is going to play out. I like that Seattle defense. I like, obviously, Jackson Smith, N'Njigba, Ohio State, Buckeye. I think that this is a good Seattle team. It's just hard for me to imagine them dropping two in a row here. And then what? The Jags are going to be, what would they be, five and one? That can't happen. Four and one, five? That's too good of a record for the Jaguars. I'll take the Seahawks here.

Listen, I talked to Mike Fuentes the other day, and he has maintained his cynicism about Trevor Lawrence. And of course, the high-end guys and the high-end teams do it again the following week, and they continue to do it. But for what it's worth, with the game on the line against the mighty KC Chiefs, Trevor Lawrence did, in fact, throw a strike to Brian Thomas there. The falling on his button getting back up, that was more fluky. But the throw he made up the right sideline was for real. I'm going to take the Seahawks here, 26 to 24. I'm surprised by that number being so low. Only a point and a half coming off of that win. The Jacks seem for real. I feel like there's some bait, some chum in the water out there. I'm going to take Seattle Crossing football America there. You mentioned Ohio State. Very quickly, I got to get you in on this as semi-objective Big Ten observer. Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks. Choose.

I'll take the Ducks. I like Dante Moore. I know I'm coming in here and I'm picking against your alma mater, but I like what Dan Lanning has done with that program. I think Dante Moore has quietly been probably the best quarterback in college football this season. I know the Hoosiers signal collar is no slouch either, but I think overall, from a talent standpoint, I think the Ducks have the better roster, so I'll roll with them.

Oh, Fernando. That was a song by Abba, right? They sang a song, Fernando. Correct. Okay, Grim Times in Charm City, the former Cleveland Browns, or really the Cleveland Browns in their purple jerseys, as I pointed out earlier. Rams paying a visit there. And get this, this is how bad things are for Baltimore right now. They are not just a home dog. They're getting seven and a half at home against the LA Rams, who are good. They ain't the '78 stealers, though. Choose here, Axel Rod.

Yeah, like you said, it's a lot of points. I don't want to be on this Raven's side in any way without Lamar Jackson at quarterback at this point. I think you take that and then you factor in the Rams not only coming off a long week after that heartbreaking loss to the 49ers, but then the State of the Ravens, their injuries, and all of that. The Ravens didn't just lose to the Texans. They got blown out. I think this could very well go the way the Bengals went with Jake Browning at quarterback, where it's just blowout after blowout. You take that, you factor in the Rams, long week, coming off a loss. I just think this is a spot for Sean McVay to do his thing. I don't like laying seven and a half on the road, especially with a team going from West to East. But if I'm going to take a dog, I have to at least think there's a chance they can win. And I don't see any situation where the Ravens win this game.

All right. Maybe this is me being a child, or it probably is. Almost certainly. I mean, seven and a half for the Baltimore Ravens. I know that a lot of the name brand guys are not going to be in uniform for this one. Some on their way back, it's not going to be Lamar Jackson, though. I think the Rams win the game, but I think they win it close, 30 to 27. I just can't bring myself to go against the Ravens with that many points playing there in Baltimore. At number two, let's get to the big one now, shall we? For you and me, for me and you, for everybody on either side of the Ohio, Pennsylvania border. And as always, I have to say, as one of society's great empaths, I feel for you. I feel for football fans in Ohio, especially on the Eastern side of the state. You're so close. You're right there, like an hour south or less. There's the Hall of Fame. It's on your side of the border. Unfortunately for you, it's filled with too many Pittsburgh Steelers, but you can go and visit them anytime you want, or you could cross the border and go and see the city that has all the Lombardi trophies.

Somehow the football gods decided to smile on the one side and do what they've done to you. That leads us up to here. I don't know if you heard Miles Garrett, you'd have to kill him to keep him off the field. Also, is there any evidence looking at Miles Garrett and his ongoing dominance that it ain't worth paying a guy that level of money in the quarterback league? If anybody can tell me who the quarterback is who's getting paid gigantic bank, and that resulted in his team being atrocious, a guy who we all understood to be a top five quarterback in the league getting paid, and that team perennially stinking, I'll be stunned because I'm pretty sure there is zero evidence of that in the 21st century. But Miles Gar, making all that coin, and it makes no difference for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are six and a half point dogs in Acresure Stadium. 38 and a half is the total. Ben Haxelrod, Cleveland Browns fan. Choose.

Yeah, I think this line opened at four and a half, and I'm not surprised it's trending the other way. My method when it comes to picking games is sometimes it's gut feel, sometimes it's something as stupid as this team coming off win, this team coming off lost. Some games I have a legitimate angle for. Usually with the Browns games, my angle is it's the Browns. I'm picking against the Browns. Smart. But I have an angle here, and it's that the Browns are the first team to come back from overseas and face a team that's coming off its buy. The Browns, for whatever reason, when you go overseas, the Browns just played in London against the Vikings, you can elect to have your buy week the following week. For whatever reason, the Browns chose not not to have their buy week this week. They're coming back from their buy, and they're going to face the stealers on the road who are coming off their own buy. I think when you look at that, you look at the state of the Browns, they just traded one of their starting cornerbacks in Greg Newsom. This is clearly a team that's in full-on rebuild mode.

They just traded their week one starter to a division rival in Joe Flacko, if that tells you anything about the state of this franchise. I liked this better at four and a half picking the stealers. I'll still take it at anything under a countdown, so I'll take the Steelers minus six and a half here. I think this is a... I've seen this spot for the Browns in Pittsburgh, and I know how it usually goes.

I agree with everything you said. Also, throw in what you've heard ad nauseam this week, and will continue to up into kickoff. Mike Tomlin doesn't lose coming out of the buy, generally speaking. He generally dominates rookie QBs. There's plenty of evidence to say the Stealers should roll in this one. I don't know, man. It's an AFC North game, and the Stealers are riding high, and the Stealers under Mike Tomlin have had, I mean, legitimately, since he got there, a bad habit of not putting their best effort out there against bum teams. That's what the Cleveland Browns are. I think the Steelers win it, but like most AFC North games finish, 19 to 17 will be your final. The Steelers win it, but barely last up the main event. Lions, Chiefs in Arrowhead, the home team laying two and a half. Ben Axerod, choose.

This feels like a get-right spot for the Chiefs, and I don't really have... This is more of a gut feel. I don't have a strong angle on this, but this just feels like a empty the tank type of game for the Chiefs. If they lose this, they drop to two and four. The Broncos are starting to click in the AFC West.

Rashe Rice coming back next week, so that's dangling out. They just get this one and we're in good shape.

Yeah, and the Lions have obviously had their own success. I mean, this is a game they can't afford to lose. Look, I think these are two teams that are going to be in the mix come next late January, heading in to February. It would not shock me to see either team in their respective conference title game or even the Super Bowl. I think you take a team that needs to win, you take a team that can afford to lose, you add it all together. I'm going to take the Chiefs here. As I'm What do you typically want to do when it comes to taking the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.

Well, bottom line is, I'll make it quick. I am leaning in your direction, but I'm going to have it both ways. I'm going to take the Lions to win it 34 to 33. Chiefs keep it fairly close. Not a bad idea to go with the Chiefs. Although last year, last couple of years, it's been a bad idea to go with the Chiefs as a home favorite a lot of the time, no matter who they're playing. And this is one of the real heavyweights of pro football. Hey, Ben Axelrod. Awful announcing. I check it out every single day. I check it. Great work by you and everybody over there. Thanks so much for the time, pal. Let's do it again soon.

Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Dave.

There he goes, Ben Axelrod. And here we go, too. We'll talk to you on the other side of NFL Week 6. Until next time, football Americans. Thanks so much. It's been a thin slice of heaven. And let's go, Coach Sig Smokum. You, too, Coach Tomlin.